charminglymisanthropic:

I will never, ever, ever understand people who think being white is something to be proud of. Like you, I understand taking an interest in your heritage, but “white” is not a heritage. The assertion that it is a heritage unto itself (and not one’s actual heritage, like being of German or Swedish or French descent) is something that won’t ever compute for me. 

And I say that as a white woman in America. I understand that I have privilege. It took me a while to get it— I was never racist but there were (and I’m sure still are) things I didn’t understand about being a person of color in the US. It took education to recognize the reality of my life experience versus that of a person of color. Now I see it, recognize it, more and more. It’s there. It’s gross. It’s a systemic problem in our society, and it is not about how one person treats another in one situation. 

Anyway, I found this graphic and I thought it might be helpful in your conversations with people who don’t understand the difference between racism and prejudice (and, y’know, people just being assholes).